Nets Waive Guard Keon Johnson: What Will Brooklyn's Backcourt Look Like?

With the 2025-2026 NBA season quietly approaching, the Brooklyn Nets are starting to cut down their team to reach the NBA's maximum roster size of 15 players.

Since the Nets have recently added an influx of rookies and offseason acquisitions, some players from last year's team likely won't be returning, including veteran Keon Johnson.

According to HoopsHype NBA insider Michael Scotto, the Nets have waived shooting guard Keon Johnson.

The Brooklyn Nets have waived guard Keon Johnson. He averaged 10.6 points in 79 games for Brooklyn last season.
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) September 17, 2025

Last season, Johnson started the third-most games on the team (56) while averaging a career-high 10.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and one steal per game, shooting 38.9% from the field and 31.4% from beyond the arc. He particularly stepped up after the All-Star break when the team was struggling with injuries, raising his averages to 12.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.

While playing the best basketball of his career, Johnson scored a career-high 25 points on two separate occasions, shooting 50% from the field in each game.

The Tennessee product joined the team in November of 2023 after signing a two-way contract with the Nets shortly after being waived by the Phoenix Suns. During his first season in Brooklyn, Johnson averaged 6.2 points and 1.4 rebounds per game while shooting 38.1% from field-goal range and 40% from three.

During the 2023-2024 season, he also spent significant time with Brooklyn's G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets. While appearing in 26 G League games, Johnson was Long Island's second-leading scorer after averaging 18.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

What Will Brooklyn's Backcourt Look Like?

Four of Brooklyn's NBA record five first-round picks are listed as guards, so it's entirely possible that the move was made to free up space for the development of the Nets' young players.

In a rebuilding season, the objective isn't to simply put the best players on the floor but also helping the team's recent draftees build confidence and gain meaningful playing experience early on.

While Johnson's veteran presence could be meaningful, the Nets already have several experienced guards like Cam Thomas, Terance Mann and former first-round pick Kobe Bufkin, who was acquired from the Atlanta Hawks earlier in the week.

Brooklyn’s young players already have multiple veterans to learn from, and with their roster already sitting above the league’s max capacity, it makes more sense to trim the crowded backcourt rather than cut somebody from an already-thin frontcourt